PETALING JAYA • Former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar yesterday defended her meeting with the daughter of the former self-styled Sulu Sultan who ordered the Lahad Datu intrusion, saying that it was arranged by the Philippine authorities.

Pictures of Ms Nurul Izzah with Ms Jacel Kiram, whose father Jamalul Kiram III sent 200 members of his Royal Sulu Army to invade Sabah in February 2013, caused an uproar on social media.

In one picture, Ms Nurul is seen having dinner with Ms Jacel and an unidentified man, while in two other pictures, Ms Nurul is seen posing with Ms Jacel holding a Release Anwar Immediately poster.

Ms Nurul, vice-president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, said she had gone to the Philippines on Nov 9 with Batu MP Tian Chua, as part of the party's delegation to meet political stakeholders in the country. "In the meeting, I stressed our support for Malaysian government initiatives in peace negotiations in southern Philippines," she said in a statement yesterday. "I wish to reiterate my support in defending the sovereignty of Sabah as part of the Malaysian federation."

According to Ms Nurul, the people she met were legitimate stakeholders and civil society leaders.

She said the list was decided by the Council on Philippine Affairs and the Asian Institute for Democracy, the office of the city mayor of Manila and the office of the vice-president of the Philippines.

The self-styled Sulu princess was the chief spokesman in the Lahad Datu incident and is now running for senator on the platform of claiming Sabah from Malaysia.

The caption for Ms Jacel's Facebook profile photo read: "You are a Filipino, Sabah is ours!"

Netizens also shared the pictures and questioned the pair's meeting by asking: "What was she doing with (the) person behind the Lahad Datu intrusion?"

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK